1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to wheels and more particularly to all terrain wheels and skids.
2. Background Art
Wheel chairs which are generally propelled by an occupant, and which may be pushed from behind, and other manually propelled vehicles and the like, such as strollers, shopping carts, and wheel barrows are often used on pavement, man made floors, and the like. Such pavement, man made floors, and the like are often constructed to facilitate wheeled transportation.
Once an attempt is made to propel and manipulate such vehicles on terrain where the vehicle's wheels sink into the terrain and/or on terrain other than that specifically designed and constructed for wheeled transportation, propulsion, manipulation, and maneuvering on such terrain becomes extremely difficult and hazardous, the wheels often becoming directed in a direction other than the desired direction of movement of such vehicles. Propulsion, manipulation, and maneuvering of a wheel chair by an occupant on such terrain as sand, snow, ice, and mud often becomes extremely difficult, and often virtually impossible requiring extreme strength and physical dexterity to propel the wheel chair, manipulate, maneuver, and prevent the wheel chair from tipping over. Such physical strength and manipulative ability may also be required to push and maneuver a stroller, shopping cart, wheel barrow and the like over sand, snow, ice, and mud and may be hazardous to an occupant, such as a small child, or items in such vehicles, and hazardous to the individual propelling such vehicle.
Snow and ice conditions, mud and sand, in particular, are often unavoidable in daily life situations for a disabled person having a wheel chair as his or her sole source of mobility and transportation, and to a parent or individual responsible for pushing a child in a stroller. Each of these situations is difficult and hazardous to the person propelling, manipulating, and maneuvering the vehicle, but likewise to the occupant, if they are not one in the same, and often to other individuals in the vicinity. The individual propelling and guiding such vehicle may not and often does not have the physical prowess, manipulative ability, and physical dexterity to successfully negotiate such vehicle safely, if at all, under such adverse conditions. Similar problems exist for users of shopping carts, wheel barrows, and the like, and motorized and engine driven vehicles, as well.
There is a need for a simple, easy to use, easy to install and remove, portable, light weight, low cost, safe, attractive, and durable device to facilitate mobility, propulsion, manipulation, and maneuvering of manually propelled vehicles and the like, such as wheel chairs, strollers, shopping carts, and wheel barrows, as well as motorized and engine driven vehicles on difficult terrain. Such a device should improve handling and personal safety for an individual propelling such vehicles, occupants of such vehicles, and individuals in the vicinity of such vehicles. The device should be capable of use on snow, sand, ice, mud and other terrain, and the like, where wheels ordinarily sink into the terrain, and/or otherwise become directed in a direction other than the desired direction of travel of such vehicles, and make wheeled transportation otherwise difficult or impossible, and hazardous, and be easy to use. The device should be of simple construction, easy to manufacture, and easily installable as a retrofit on existing vehicles or in new installations during construction and fabrication of such vehicles, adjustable and installable for different wheel sizes and on different types of vehicles.
Different wheels and skis have heretofore been known. However, none of the wheels and skis adequately satisfies these aforementioned needs.
Different wheel chair devices have been disclosed for use on difficult terrain.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,457,837 (Zuckerbrod) discloses a portable track device for a wheel chair for travel across difficult terrain, such as a sandy beach, which includes at least two track sections which can be coupled removably to each other. Each track section has a bottom channel between a right side wall and a left side wall, with a reinforcement rod in each side wall and with transverse supports located in a bottom channel. Each track section is equal to, or greater than, the length of the wheelchair.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,261,470 (Genaw et al) discloses a snow chain kit for drive wheels of a wheel chair having a number of pairs of attachment strips for each wheel and a traction strap for each pair of strips, each of the straps having a plurality of chains for providing traction on ice or snow and each pair of strips being mounted on opposite sides of the wheels, with the straps wrapped around a tire and being attached to one pair of strips.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,116,067 (Johnson) discloses a wheel chair having a support structure that can be adapted to attach standard wheel chair wheels for providing mobility and allowing interchangeability of accessories to change the support structure for sporting events, such as water and snow skiing. The wheel chair has a frame and sockets to replace attachable wheels with water and snow skis.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,141,566 (Banes et al) discloses a sled frame for releasable attachment of a wheel chair. The sled frame has a body portion supporting a pair of laterally spaced, horizontally disposed support members which, in turn, are sized to be disposed between the wheels of a wheel chair to support the frame of the wheel chair on the sled. The support members are each provided with a plurality of locking devices which releasably engage the frame of the wheel chair to securely lock the wheel chair to the sled.
French Patent No. FR 2655273 (Massarotti and Roux) discloses a wheel chair held on a pair of skis having raised tips at each end of the skis and U shaped fixtures to hold the wheel chair's wheels.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,076,390 (Haskins) discloses a wheel chair having a foldable frame with an interlinked system of parallelogram linkages which can be readily collapsed for travel and to provide access to otherwise restricted areas.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,253,825 (Christian) discloses an aircraft ski for attachment to an axle of a ground wheel of an aircraft having a pair of rams to move the ski upward and downward from a retracted position to a deployed position.
For the foregoing reasons, there is a need for a simple, easy to use, easy to install and remove, portable, light weight, low cost, safe, attractive, and durable device to facilitate mobility, propulsion, manipulation, and maneuvering of manually propelled vehicles and the like, such as wheel chairs, strollers, shopping carts, and wheel barrows, as well as motorized and engine driven vehicles on difficult terrain. Such a device should improve handling and personal safety for an individual propelling such vehicles, occupants of such vehicles, and individuals in the vicinity of such vehicles.
The device should be capable of use on snow, sand, ice, mud and other terrain, and the like, where wheels ordinarily sink into the terrain, and/or otherwise become directed in a direction other than the desired direction of travel of such vehicles, and make wheeled transportation otherwise difficult or impossible, and hazardous, and be easy to use. The device should be of simple construction, easy to manufacture, and easily installable as a retrofit on existing vehicles or in new installations during construction and fabrication of such vehicles, adjustable and installable for different wheel sizes and on different types of vehicles.